Labeling implement



June 2, 1936.

L. A. -MACLEAN LABELING IMPLEMENT Filedi June 21; 1935 Patented June 2,1936 UNITED s'rli'rrzsA eATEN'r oFFlcE LABELING IMPLEMENT Leonard. A.Maclean, Reading, Mass.

Application June 21, 1935, Serial No. 27,709

' 7 Claims. (Cl. 91-16) The chief object of this invention is to providea simple and effective hand controlled implement adapted to print, onthe members of a strip of gummed labels, characters indicating theselling price of articles of merchandise to: which the labels are to beattached, and to be operated by one hand of the operator to feed thestrip step by step and project one end of it, so that the other hand ofthe operator may be used in rapidly detaching and afxing one by one, toarticles of merchandise, labels detached from a strip projected andprice marked by the implement.

An implement embodying the invention, adapted to print price marks on alabel strip, includes an inflexible wand, or wand-like guide havingmeans for directing a strip of separably connected gummed labelslengthwise of the wand, a slide movable on the wand and retractedthereon by a spring, the slide having a strip-supporting bed and stripfeeding means, a chase carried by the slide and carrying a labelprinting member, and mechanism for feeding the strip forward on the wandand operating the printing member, the arrangement being such that theslide and strip are first fed' forward and arrested; and the printingmember is then operated to price mark a label.

Of the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification;-

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a labeling implement embodying theinvention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective-view of the guide.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the strip feedingmeans.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional View showing the printing means,including a printing member formed as a stencil.

Figure 5a is a view similar to portions of Figure 5 showing a differentprinting member.

Figure 6 shows in perspective a strip feeding lever, and a triggerlever.

Figure 7 shows in perspective a presser operating lever.

Figure 8` shows in perspective the slide which carries the strip feedingand presser operating levers, and the chase which carries the printingmember.

Figure 9 shows the stencil in perspective.

Figure 10 is a side View of a portion of the.y label strip.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of thefigures.

The implement comprises an inflexible wand f" |21, (Figure 3i)preferably of sheet metal having means such as ears I3 for guiding astrip I4 of paper labels lengthwise of the wand. The strip I4 istransversely scored to permit the detachment of the foremost label fromthe strip, and has a gum coating on its back. Y

A slide I5 is movable on the wand between a forward stop I6, and a rearstop II, fixed to the wand and arranged to limit the movements of theslide to substantially the length of one label. A spring I8 secured atone end to a cross bar 20 fixed to the wand and at the opposite end toan ear 2| on the slide, normally confines the slide retracted againstthe rear stop I'I. The slide includes a bed portion I5EL which supportsthe portion of the strip I4 which is acted on by the printing memberhereinafter described. The bed portion I5'r1 is movable in a slot I2b inthe wand I2. p y

22 designates a chase carried by the slide and containing a presser 23,and printing means operable thereby to print on each label a character,or characters 24 indicating a price.V Said printing means preferablyincludes an inking pad 25 contacting with the presser 23, and a stencil26 contacting with the pad and adapted to print the characters 24. Thestencil is preferably of the kind used in hektograph machines, andprepared for use by a type-writing machine, the stencil being a slip ofpaper prepared'so that an impression 2IIa made upon it by a typewriterwill permit ink from the pad to ooze through the stencil and reproducethe impression on a label in 'a strip I4 interposed between the slideand the Wand. A metallic printing type'ZIa and an ink ribbon 25a may besubstituted for the stencil and pad, as conventionally shown by Figure5a.

'Ihe implement includes mechanism for feeding the label strip anddepressing the printing member. Said Vmechanism may include a. manuallyoperable trigger lever 28 fulcrumed on the wand. Said le'ver is in thisinstance a member .of the structure shown separately by VFigure 6, andincluding a sleeve 31 mounted to turn on a stud 31 fixed to one arm ofthe trigger lever, aside piece 311 secured to the stud 31e, and apin.3Ic xed tothe trigger lever and the side piece and journalled toturn in a bearing 311 (Figure 3) iixed to the wand I2, said bearingconstituting a fulcrum on which the trigger lever is adapted to swing.

Said mechanism includes also a strip-feeding lever 30 fulcrumed at 3|(Figure 4), to bearings 3lEN on the slide, and provided with astrip-engaging dog 32. movable in a slot 32a in the slide, a

printing member operating cam leverl 33 having a cam-shaped nose 34formed to contact with the presser 23, and trunnions 35 on the leverjournalled in trunnion bearings 35ab (Figure 8) on the slide, andconnections between the trigger lever, and the presser operating lever33, and the stripfeeding lever 30. Said connections preferably in-'clude a connecting rod 36 fixed to the sleeve 31 and pivoted at 38(Figure 6) to the strip-feeding lever 30, and a connecting rod 39pivoted at 40 to an ear 4I on the rod 36, and at 42 to the cam lever 33.

The arrangement is such that when the trigger lever 28 is moved to theposition shown by dottedv lines in Figure 2, the feeding lever 3,0 ismoved to Yfeed the strip I4 before the pressing lever is moved todepress the printing member, the feeding lever and the cam or pressinglever being y,

operated successively by a single movement of the trigger lever to firstfeed and then print the strip I4. When the trigger lever is released thespring I8 retracts the slide, the feeding lever 30 releasing its hold onthe label strip. l

The chase 22 is movably connected with the slide, the latter having theopening 43 (Figure 8) in which the chase is vertically movable. Thechase is normally supported by springs 44 attached to it and bearingloosely on the slide I5. The chase is supported in a raised position bythe. springs to normally maintain the printing member 26 out of contactwith a strip I4 supported by the wand, and is movable by the Icam lever33 to cause the printing member `to contact with the strip I4. v

To one end of the wand I2 is secured a maga-A Zine 45 `adapted tocontain a coiled label strip. An inclined brace 46 connects the magazinewith the forward end portion of the wand I2.

41 designates a water receptacle secured, as by a screw 48, to the brace46 and containing a wick 49 which extends through a tube 50 which bearson an ear 5l!a beside an opening I2a in the wand I2. The wick isarranged to contact with the gummed side of the strip I4.

The rear stop I1 is provided with a resilient tongue 5I which presses aportion of the strip I4 against the wand and prevents loose endwisemovement of the strip.

Theimplement as a whole may be manipulated by one hand of the operator,who moves the trigger lever 28 to cause the foremost label of the stripto project from the forward end of the wand, the gummed side of thelabel having been moistened. 'Ihe operator then manipulates the Wand topress the foremost label against an article of merchandise and cause theadhesion of the gummed side thereto. The attached label may then bedetached from the strip by holding the label down and moving theimplement away from it. The label may be held down by a presser held bythe other hand of the operator, and provided with a pressing face ofsand paper, or blotting paper, which is free from liability to rub anddeface the characters printed on the label by the machine.

V'I'he slide I5 is formed as shown by' Figure 8 to embrace Vthe portionof the wand on which `it moves, and a portion of the label strip supytocause it to print the indicia 24 on the portion of the label stripembraced by the slide.

To time the depressing movement of the depressing lever 33 so that itoccurs after the stripfeeding lever 30 has fed the label strip, andwhile the dog 32 remains stationary in engagement with the strip, Iprovide the rod 36 with slots 52 (Figures 4 and 6), which permit the rod36, and with it the rod 39, to move forward, while the dog 32 iskstationary and engaged with the label strip. A spring 54 on the rod 36is interposed between the lever 30 and a stop 55 on the rod 36. The rod36 is therefore permitted to move forward as shown by Figure 4 while thelever 30 is at rest and its dog 32 is engaged with the label strip,until the rod 39 moves the lever 33 to the position shown by Figure 5,.and operates the printing member.

The described implement is wholly hand controlled somewhat like apistol, one arm of the trigger lever being exposed so that it may bemoved by a finger of a hand grasping the rear portion 'of the implement.

It will be seen that the operator is enabled to so control the implementby one hand that a label projected from the Wand may be convenientlyplaced with its sticky side in contact with an article of merchandisewhich may be in either of a number of positions or locations, andv touse the other hand in causing the detachment ofV the label from thestrip and its adhesion to the article.

The hand 'control of the implement enables it to be moved quickly fromone article of merchandise `to another when the articles are assembledandV spaced `apart on a table or counter, and to quickly apply eachprojected label to an article and cause its adhesion thereto. Y

A large number of articles may therefore be price marked much morequickly than would be possible if the label strip were held by the handsof the operator and the end label of the strip were detached, moistened,and applied to anv article by hand, as usual.

As implied by the foregoing specification, and by the appended claims, Iam not limited to the specified embodiments of the invention shown bythe drawing, except as otherwise specified in certain of the morelimited claims.

I claim:A

1. A hand controlled labeling implement comprising a wand having meansfor directing a label striplengthwise thereof so that a labelconstituting an end member of the strip may be projected from an end ofthe wand and there detached, a slide movable forward and backward on thewand a distance substantially equal to the length of the label, stripfeeding and strip printing means mounted on the slide, said printingmeans including a depressible printing member, resilient means normallyretracting the slide, and manually operable means for projecting theslide and operating said strip feeding means, during the projection ofthe slide, and for operating said printing means after the slide visprojected.

2. A hand controlled labeling implement comprising a wand havingmeansfor directing a label strip lengthwise thereof so that a labelconstituting an end member of the strip Vmay be projected from an end ofthe Wand and there detached, a slide movableV forward and backward onthe guide a distance substantially equal to the length of a label, stripfeeding and strip printing means mounted on the slide, said printingmeans including a depressible printing member, resilient means normallyretracting the slide, a trigger lever fulcrumed on the wand andoperating connections between said lever, the strip feeding means, andthe printing means, operable by a single movement of the trigger leverto successively feed and print a label strip.

3. A hand controlled labeling implement comprising a wand having meansfor directing a label strip lengthwise thereof so that a labelconstituting an end member of the strip may be projected from theforward end of the wand and there detached from the strip, a slideformed to embrace a portion of the wand and a portion of a label stripthereon, said slide being movable forward and backward on the wand adistance substantially equal to the length of a label of the strip, achase carried by the slide and provided with a printing member normallyspaced above a strip portion embraced by the slide and depressible toprint indicia on said strip portion, a trigger lever fulcrumed on thewand, a strip feeding lever fulcrumed on the slide and having astrip-engaging dog, a depressing lever fulcrumed on the slide, operatingconnections between an arm of the trigger lever and said feeding anddepressing levers, and a spring yieldingly retaining the slide at thelimit of its backward movement and permitting movement of the slide tothe limit of its forward movement, the arrangement being such that asingle movement of the trigger lever rst causes the feeding of the stripand then a depression of the printing member.

4. A hand controlled labeling implement comprising a wand having meansfor directing a label strip lengthwise thereof so that a labelconstituting an end member of the strip may be projected from an end ofthe Wand and there detached, a slide movable between front and rearstops on the wand, a spring yieldingly confining the slide retractedagainst the rear stop, a chase carried by the slide and containing apresser and a printing member operable thereby to print a label stripinterposed between the slide and the wand, and mechanism for feeding thestrip and operating the presser, said mechanism including a manuallyoperable trigger lever fulcrumed on the wand, a strip-feeding leverfulcrumed on the slide and provided with a strip-engaging dog, a camlever also fulcrumed on the slide, and connections between said triggerlever and the said feeding and cam levers, the arrangement being suchthat the feeding lever and cam lever are operable successively by asingle movement of the trigger lever, to feed and print the strip.

5. A labeling implement as specied by claim 1, the printing means beingmovably connected with the slide, normally supported yieldingly tomaintain the printing member out of Contact with a label strip supportedb-y the slide, and movable to cause the printing member to contact withthe label strip.

6. A labeling implement as specified by claim 1, the printing meansincluding a presser, an inking pad contacting with the presser, and astripprinting stencil contacting with the pad and arranged to contactwith the label strip.

7. A labeling implement as specified by claim l, comprising also a labelstrip magazine attached to an end portion of the wand, a waterreceptacle located adjacent the wand, a wick tube extending from saidreceptacle to the outer end portion of the wand, and a wick extendingthrough said tube and arranged to apply water to a gummed side of thelabel strip.

LEONARD A. MACLEAN.

